Unraveled Sleeve (Needlecraft Mystery) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Through a ring of uniformed police officers, Betsy glimpsed the body of a very fat man..." (more)
Key Phrases: project bag, mystery teacher, allergic attack, Sharon Kaye, Grand Marais, Frank Owen (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Betsy Devonshire has been having some very vivid nightmares. And when she dreams of a murder before it happens, she really isn't going to get any rest until she untangles the crime.

Praise for the Needlecraft Mysteries:
Entertaining...Fans of Jessica Fletcher will devour this book. (Rendezvous)

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; 1st THUS edition (July 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 042518045X
• ISBN-13: 978-0425180457
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #100,986 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A nifty mystery series....but don't start it with this one, August 29, 2001

By	Corinne H. Smith (Athol, MA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

If Jessica Fletcher didn't get away from Cabot Cove every once in a while, there would be no residents left living in that small town on the coast of Maine. It's the same deal with Betsy Devonshire of Excelsior, Minnesota. After she inherits her sister's needlecraft store, Crewel World, she finds herself getting involved in the investigation of several local murders. And she ends up solving the mysteries. (see _Crewel World_, _Framed in Lace_, and _A Stitch in Time_) And even though Betsy is a newcomer to Excelsior, people are starting to turn to her in expectation of her quick work at locating criminals. The local police chief is still a bit leery of her ideas and techniques, but Betsy has conveniently befriended a female cop named Jill who can offer official help and insight. It works.
In this fourth episode, however, Betsy and Jill have ventured far afield to attend a Stitch-In in Naniboujou, Minnesota, along the Lake Superior shoreline. When the key speaker doesn't show up, both women become suspicious and start nosing around, and eventually they are the ones who find the body. Now, if you've read the other mysteries in this series, you shouldn't mind Betsy asking a lot of questions and following her conclusions. But if this is the first Monica Ferris book you pick up, I think Betsy might rub you the wrong way. You might think she's a butt-in-ski who has no business investigating a murder which shouldn't concern her. You might think it's pretentious of her to walk into an unfamiliar hotel and start asking questions. You might think it's a gutsy move to confront the victim's children and ex-husband with pointed accusations. And you'd be right, sort of. But read one of the other volumes first. You'll like Betsy a lot better, and you'll have more tolerance for her style.
I read all four of the Needlecraft Mysteries in one weekend and am ready for some more. Fans of this series would like Earlene Fowler's Benni Harper mysteries as well.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Needlework can be murder, May 14, 2002

By	Moe811 (New York USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Betsy Devonshire needs a break. Her business is busy and she has finally wound up the details of her sister's estate. She is three million dollars richer, and it seems that everyone in town has an idea of how she can spend it. Her shop assistant suggests that she take a quick vacation and her friend Jill finds a way for her to mix business and pleasure. She is going to a stitch in somewhere near the Canadian border and invites Betsy along.

On her first day, she meets a famous instructor, and later finds her dead. She leads the owners to the body only to find that it has disappeared. Betsy now has to find the body and the murderer if only to defend her own sanity.

This was a pretty good mystery. I know nothing about needlework, but the author makes it easy with very vivid descriptions of the different disciplines. This is a quick and entertaining read.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Contrived, but pleasant, June 24, 2002

By	"cameoroze" (Post Falls, ID USA) - See all my reviews

In this installment, Betsy and her best friend Jill are off on a stitching retreat. But even while on vacation, Betsy is a magnet for murder.

The plot of this book was even more contrived than the previous one in the series, but Betsy and Jill are nice gals and you just don't mind hanging around them as they trapse around solving murders. This is a quick, fun read for those that enjoy needlework and mysteries, but no great work of literature.